We are preparing to appoint our company's first Integrator, but three of our existing department heads each believe they deserve the promotion. How do we run this process on the Accountability Chart without triggering executive departures?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

You handle this by decoupling the seat from the people immediately. When you announce that you are looking for an Integrator, the natural human reaction from ambitious department heads is to view it as a corporate promotion or a prestige hierarchy contest. If you frame it that way, the two leaders who do not get the seat will feel demoted and may quit.

Start by taking the entire leadership team through an Accountability Chart exercise focused exclusively on structure. Completely remove everyone's names from the board. Define the Integrator seat by its five core roles: executing the business plan, leading and managing the leadership team, integrating the major functions, resolving cross-departmental friction, and maintaining P&L accountability.

Once the seat is defined, introduce the GWC concept openly. Explain that the Integrator seat is not a reward for past loyalty. It is a specific operational discipline. A person must Get It, Want It, and have the physical, mental, and emotional Capacity to do it.

Evaluate internal candidates against GWC and your Core Values using the People Analyzer. Have honest, one-on-one conversations with each candidate about what the seat actually entails. In many cases, when a strong department head realizes the seat is ninety percent conflict resolution, meeting moderation, and process integration rather than executive visionary authority, they realize they do not actually want it. If an internal candidate fits, elevate them clearly. If none fit, you have established objective criteria for why you must recruit externally.